We're in the early stage of March Madness, and we're already seeing a bunch of upsets. One of the upsets that happened today was 12th-ranked High Point University knocking out the fifth-seeded Wisconsin team in the first round of the tournament. The hero of the game was sharpshooter Chase Johnston, who scored 11 points in the final moments of the game to lead a wild comeback.
Along the way, Johnston was able to do something for the first time this season: score a two-pointer. The High Point forward's go-ahead layup with 10.2 seconds left in the game was his first two-point basket all season long. That led another March Madness legend, former Oakland shooter Jack Gohlke, to react on X. Gohlke remarked, “First two of the YEAR?!?!?” after Johnston's layup.
Gohlke was already a shooting anomaly when he played for Oakland in 2024. He gained notoriety during the 2024 March Madness for his playstyle. Out of his 372 shot attempts in the season, 97% of his attempts came from three-point range. That being said… Johnston's stat was even crazier, as he had not made a two-point field goal at all the entire year. He is averaging 6.1 points per game while shooting 48.5% from deep on 4.1 attempts per game. Prior to the Wisconsin game, Johnston had four two-point field goal attempts and missed all four.
Coming off the bench, Johnston scored a total of 14 points for the High Point Panthers. He made four of his six three-point attempts and added two rebounds and a steal. Guard Rob Martin led the way for High Point with a double-double of 23 points and 10 assists, while forward Terry Anderson had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
High Point's March Madness run continues in the second round. They face another tough opponent in the fourth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks, led by esteemed coach John Calipari. Will they be able to continue their Cinderella run, or will the clock strike midnight on their tournament hopes?
